A Certain Rich Man

William Allen WhiteProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 875K words
Chapters: 88

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. A Certain Rich Man by William Allen White. Author: White, William Allen, 1868–1944. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: June 26, 2006.

Editor's review

"A Certain Rich Man" is a novel by William Allen White, classified under American and Canadian literature. White was a late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American Midwestern journalist and writer whose fiction often uses local society as its backdrop and explores the entanglement of individual destiny with the changes of the age. This book revolves around the experiences of a wealthy man, using the character's rises and falls to reflect social mores and values, with a narrative marked by realism and moral scrutiny. As a Project Gutenberg public-domain eBook, the text is complete and freely available, making it a useful supplementary read for understanding American social fiction around the Gilded Age. Reading highlights include the tension between character and social environment and the author's sustained questioning of wealth, ambition, and responsibility; the narrative does not rely on intricate plotting but has a steady period texture. In terms of reading context, it suits readers interested in American literature and social history reading chapter by chapter, and also suits book clubs discussing character motivation and moral choices. Note that this is an original English edition and an early work, with a slow narrative pace, so readers should be prepared for patient reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in American realist fiction and social themes
Readers who want to understand Midwestern American society through fiction
Learners with strong English reading ability willing to read a long original novel
Book club members who prefer discussion of character and moral issues

Not a good fit for

Casual readers seeking light entertainment and fast-paced plots
Readers with limited English reading experience who struggle with long original texts
Readers seeking author biographies or critical studies of the work

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to clarify character relationships and social background, then proceed chapter by chapter.
Note the protagonist's key choices while reading and reflect on the relationship between wealth and responsibility.
Pair with background material on late nineteenth-century American social history to aid understanding of the context.
Book clubs can organize two discussions by theme: character motivation and moral dilemmas.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

How difficult is this novel to read?

This is an original English novel from the early twentieth century, with period-typical syntax and vocabulary and a slow narrative pace. Readers with experience of long English texts can proceed smoothly; those with less experience may start with chapter summaries before entering the main text.

What does "rich man" in the title refer to?

From the available information, the title points to a wealthy character around whose experiences the novel unfolds, thereby examining the relationship between wealth and society. Specific character details and plot developments should be based on the text itself; readers should not presume a single theme from the title alone.

Is this book suitable for classroom or book club use?

Yes. The novel addresses issues such as wealth, ambition, and moral choice, making it easy to organize discussion. It is advisable to divide the reading into chapters in advance, design questions around character motivation and social background, and allow members to share views grounded in real experience rather than merely recounting plot.

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About the author

William Allen White Author · American · 1868–1944

William Allen White (1868–1944) was an American journalist and writer, known as the "Sage of Emporia." In 1895 he bought the Emporia Gazette, and his editorial "What's the Matter with Kansas?" deeply influenced the 1896 presidential election; his 1922 editorial "To an Anxious Friend" won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize, and he also wrote several novels. His works include In the Heart of a Fool, A Certain Rich Man, The Martial Adventures of Henry and Me, In Our Town, and The Court of Boyville, and are often classed as inspirational and coming-of-age writing. Public information is limited, and this introduction relies mainly on the facts above. White combined newspaper editorials with novel writing; his plain yet evocative style drew universal meaning from local life and ordinary experience, and his editorials and novels had wide influence in the social debates of the American Progressive Era, so his works are still regarded as important texts for observing Midwestern American society and values.